Individual mausoleum



Jan. 8, 1935. B. F. KREHBlEL.

INDIVIDUAL MAUSOLEUM 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. l5, 1953 ATTORNEY.

Jan' 8, 1935- B. F. KREHBIEL 1,986,931

INDIVIDUAL MAUSOLEUM Filed Feb. 15, 1933 3 SheeiS--SheecV 3 .sf-i. KQ ,f5 3 INVENTOR. "N* "i enjamz'n E Kzehbl'el f6 @E BY l E". wagt. 772.?. A 9

sgg v, .9 54 ATTORNEY.

' rames .un s, 193s UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE mmvmuar. Mausoleum senimm r. mais. mail. xm. Anuman rem-wy 1s, 1m, sum No. n.841

Claim This invention relates to an improvement in individual mausoleums. The objects of my invention are to provide an individual mausoleum having great strength and one that is water or 5 moisture tight. A still further object is to provide an individual mausoleum having a vent, or a plurality of vents to admit the passage of gases or moisture or both out of the mausoleum. but will prevent the passage of such matter into the mausoleum. Another object of my invention is to provide a mausoleum of the character mentioned and in addition thereto to provide a disinfectant material within the mausoleum in such a place or places that all gases or moisture therel in will be disinfected before they are permitted to pass out of the mausoleum. These and other objects will be more fully described as this description progresses.

Now referring to the drawings in which like reference characters represent the same part in the several figures, Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view through my improved individual -mausoleum, the assembly thereof being complete. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the complete assembly as seen from the line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the box portion only, showing a modified form of construction in the lower portion of the box. Fig.

4 is a sectional view through the side wall of the box as seen from the line IV-IV in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the construction and assembhr of the sealing tray and strut bars at the top of the box. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the complete assembly. Fig. 'l is a plan view of the under side of the sealing lid. Fig. 8 is a plan view of my improved individual mausoleum having the monumental cover and the sealing lid removed and a portion of the box broken away forrconvenience of illustration. Fig. 9 is a plan view of my improved individualmausoleum having the monumental cover, sealing lid. strut bars and sealing tray removed and a part of the suboor broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of a valve for venting gases and moisture out of the mausoleum. Fig. 11 is a plan view of Fig. l0. Fig. l2 is a modiiled form of a valve or trap which may be used in lieu of that shown in Figs. 10 and 1l. Fig. 12A is still another type of vent that 'may be employed instead of that shown in Figs. 10 or 12. Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of the assembly of the several parts at the top of the box, the section being taken through the joint at any one of the strut bars. Figs. 14 and 15 are details showing a method of tightening the reinforcing bars in the concrete after the concrete has shrunk in the process of curing.

gg. 16 is a face view of the right hand side of In the drawings is shown my improved indi- 5 vidual mausoleum having a box or vault portion A. consistingof four walls 17, 16. 19 and 20 and a bottom 2l. The upper portion of the walls 1'1, 18,

19 and 20 are rebated or provided with a shoulder 22 for the support of, and on which rests the seall0 ing iid 23. At 24 are dove tail notches in the side walls4 17 and 19 of the box or vault for a purpose which will be later explained. In the top edge of the walls is a sealing strip 25 which is preferably made of copper, or some rust resisting material. 15 It will be noticed that the sealing strip 25 is imbedded in the concrete walls of the vault and projects thereabove, the reason of which will be later explained.

Along the inner corners of the vault where the 2o iloor joins the walls is shown a shoulder 26 with notches 2'1 therein to receive -bars or concrete joist 28 on which rests the casket which is not shown. In Fig. l is shown a sub iloor 29 which rests on the two concrete beams or ioist 28 and 25 the edges of the sub-oor 29 between the joists 28 rest on the shoulder 26.

In Fig. 3 is shown a sub-floor slab 29a which rests on the joist 28 and the sides and opposite end of the slab rest on the shoulder 26 and the 30 same construction exists in the opposite end of the vault. 'Ihe reason for this construction and that described in the preceding paragraph will be later explained. l

In some localities surrounding the cemeteries there is a growing complaint that the ground is becoming contaminated from the dead bodies etc., buried in the cemetery, therefore in my improved mausoleum I have provided a drain in the iloor or bottom of my mausoleum vault and also a 4o means of disinfecting any and all liquids that may drain from the vault before they are permitted to leave the vault. 'I'hese features are provided for as follows.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 9, l0 and 11 is showna vent 45 and disinfecting device for allowing the gases and moisture that may exist in the vault to pass out while in Figs. l2 and 12a is shown two types of valves or vents that would give satisfactory results. The drain or valve is placed in the oor of the vault and the iloor slopes from its outer extremities to the drain as shown. On the :floor of the vault at 30 is a tubular porous material which functions as a filter and around which is placed any desired disinfecting material 31 such as chloride of lime etc. In the floor of the. vault 4and on the center axis of the filter 30 is the drain or valve which as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 9 and in enlarged detail in Fig. l0 comprises an enclosure casing 32 with a valve 33 in the top thereof and which is covered with a flne screen element 34 which extends from the top of the case 32 through the concrete and into the open space within the filter 30. At 35 is a hole in the concrete which extends from the top of the case 32 through the concrete and into the open space within the filter 30. At 35 is ahole in the concrete which extends to the bottom of the casing 32, there being openings in the bottom ofthe casing that open into the hole 35. Within thev casing 32 is a vertical spindle which is rigidly mounted on the bottom of the casing 32 and which supports a float 36 which carries a valve 37 which when the float is raised seats in the valve seat 33 and closes the passage from the exterior to the interior of the vault so no water may enter the vault from the outside. Any moisture from the inside of the vault will drain down the inclined floor through the disinfectant 31 and filter 30 and out through the valve mechanism into the outside ground, while any gases in the vaultr would be forced to travel under the subiioor and over the disinfectant and then pass out through the valve the same as the moisture did. Attention is drawn to the fact that the sub-iioor 29 or 29a is always positioned over the filter 30 regardless of whether it is in the center of the vault as shownin Fig. 1 or whether it is in one end of the vault as shown in Fig. 3, this is done to prevent anything from dropping into the filter from above.

In Fig. 12 is shown a form of a valve that may be substituted for that shown ln Fig. 10. This valve merely amounts to a trap having a ball 38 positioned on a seat in the trap to prevent flow of any material into the vault from the outside. In Fig. 12A is shown a type of drain which is merely a hole 38 through the floor slab and having a screen 38:1: therein to prevent anything lof any size from passing into the vault. It will be understood that the same filter and disinfectant arrangement will be employed as is employed in Figs. 10, 11 and` 12. These valves and numerous others may be employed with satisfactory results, the main idea being to provide a valve which will permit the passage of gases and liquids out of the vault and prevent their entering the vault.

The type of vault shown in Fig. 1, which has the drain in the center of the floor of the vault would be preferred when using a burial lot having a level surface while if a burial lot on a hillside were to be used and the vault as shown in Fig. 3

were to be set in a sloping position, the vault `with the drain in one end would be preferable to use. The vault would be set so that the drain would be in the low end.

'I'he vault is provided with a sealing tray 39 which fits within the walls of the vault and is provided with outwardly projecting lugs 40 which are adapted to enter and be received into the dove tail notches 24 and be supported on the shoulder at the bottom of the dove tailvnotch and thereby support the sealing tray 39 in its proper position within the vault. 'I'he sealing tray 39 is ribbed around its outer edges and also crossways from lug to lug 40 as a reinforcing element for the tray. If desired, the sealing tray 39 can be sealed to the walls of the vault by slushing cement between the bevel portion 39x of the sealing tray and the walls of the vault.

Over each of the ribs between the lugs 40 and resting thereon is`placed a strut bar 41 having bifurcated or hallowed ends so that the bifurcations 42 straddle the dovetail notches 24 and the entire bar 4l nts between the walls 17 and 19 of the vault and reaches in depth from the top of the ribs on sealing tray to the shoulder 22 on the walls 17 and 19. Attention is now drawn to the fact that the assembly just described has left an opening or hollow space above the lugs 40 and bounded by the dovetail notches 24 and the bifurcated ends 42 of the strut bars 4l. This opening, when the vault is prepared for final sealing, is filled with concrete 43 which when set will lock thefsealing slab 39 and strut bars 41 in place between the -walls of the vault. At 23 is a sealing cover, the under side of which is ribbed asl shown at 45 in Fig. 'I in order to strengthen the cover. In the sealing cover 23 are downwardly projecting bolts 44 which, when the sealing cover 23 is. placed in position between the walls of the vault and resting on the shoulders 22,.will be imbedded in the fresh cement 43 in the space between the bifurcations 42 and the walls 17 and 19 and when the cement 43 is set, the

sealing cover is positively tied and sealed to the vault.

It will be noticed that there is a dead air space between the sealing tray 39 and the sealing lid 23. There may be instances where it would be desirable or advisable to allow air circulation through this space and even' provide a disinfectant material therein. This can be accomplished by making holes as indicated by the dotted circles 39' in the ends of the sealing tray 39 and placing the disinfecting materialon top of the sealing tray 39 as indicated at 39a in Fig. 1.

It is customary to set graves or vaults in an east and west direction, and by setting my improved vault in an east and west direction the following action takes place. When the sun rises in the east, the east end of the vault cover is 'heated first, thereby causing the air in the vault to rise in the east end of the vault, therefore it necessarily follows that the air will drop in the west end of the vault, it is obvious that this movement is nothing short of a complete movement or circulation of the entire air content of the-vault. Duringvthis air circulation, any moisture in the vault will be evaporated into the air and absorbed into the disinfectant and absorbent 39a. As the sun passes to the west, the West end of the vault cover is heated more than the east end and the air in the vault will circulate as previously described, except it circulates in the opposite direction.

Quite often it is desired to set these vaults in the cemetery lot some time before they are to be used, therefore it is desirable to seal the vault so it will not take moisture and yet it may be opened again at the time of interment. 'I'his is done by assembling the several parts in their proper position and omitting the cementing of the parts together. However a material such as putty may be placed in the groove 48 in the monumental cover of the vault and over the metallic tonguev 25 and then placing the monumental cover 4'7 in its proper position on the vault thereby forming a temporary moisture proof sealing of the vault until the time of interment. In the final assembling of the vault the sealing cover 23 and the upper edges of the vault walls are mopped with a heavy coat of water proofing, preferably hot asphalt, filling the space between permanently the walls of the vaultand the outside edges of the sealing slab to form a water and air tight Joint at that point. While the waterproofing is still hot, the vault is covered with a light weight felt 46 and thoroughly mopped down again with hot asphalt and the monumental cover 41 is placed on the vault, there being a groove 48 in the under side of the monumental cover 47 to receive the tongue or strip 25 to perfect a seal between the walls and cover for the vault and the monumental cover 47;

, On the monumental cover 47 is an inscription or name plate base 49 in which can be cast colored letters, name plates, lodge emblems, etc., 50, as an integral part of the base 49, and by the same process other emblems, etc., can be cast in the monumental cover as illustrated by the erom 50'.

In making an individual mausoleum of this kind it is particularly desirable that it be permanently waterproof. In view of this fact the walls and bottom of my improved vault rare poured and reinforced with wire mesh or steel rods and when set are water proofed with a heavy coat of waterproofing 51 over which is placed a wire mesh 52 and a thick coating of cement 53' is sprayed thereon as a protection for the waterproofing.

It is well known that when concrete sets or is cured that it shrinks to some extent and when this shrinkage takes place the steel in the concrete is under compression in the concrete and the concrete is in stress and as a result small cracks will appear in the concrete and if there was a way' to take up or shorten the steel, equal to the shinkage, the cracks would not appear. In view of this I have provided the following described device and way to accomplish the shortening or taking up of the steel to allow for this shrinkage and preventing the cracks from appearing inthe concrete. a a l The reinforcing rods 53 are provided with a covering or coating such as a layer of paper or a thin coating of rubber or even a coating of oil 54 in that the concrete will not adhere to the steel wh the concrete is poured around it. One end of reinforcing rod 53 is enlarged or may have a large washer 55 riveted thereon as at 56 and the opposite end of the rod is threaded into a cylindrical piece 57 which is rotatably mounted in a cup like element 58 that is cast in the concrete 59. The outer end of the element 57 being provided with a hole 60 to receive-a wrench with which the element 57 may be turned to take up the extra length of the reinforcing rod as the concrete shrinks in the process of setting and curing, thereby placing the rod in tension and the concretc'in compression as it should be. l

While I have described the rod 53 as bein taken up at one end it will be understood that a take up device as above described may be put on each end of the rod or there .may be instances where it would be better to deform both ends of the rod and place a turn buckle in the middle of the rod.

Such modifications of my improved individual mausoleum and construction devices therein may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intention of myv invention.

Now having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an individual mausoleum, a vault, said vault having integralsides, ends and bottom, a

drain in said bottom and a protective sub-floor positioned over said drain, a sealing tray for said vault as a means of preventing moisture from dripping into said drain, without first passing through the disinfectant and filter block, said sealing tray being supported in the top portion of said vault, strut bars between the side walls of said vault and a sealing lid for said vault,A

means for supporting said sealing lid in said vault and means for rigidly and permanently holding said sealing lid in position in said vault, a monumental cover for said vault and means in said vault to seal and hold said monumental cover on said vault.

2. In an individual mausoleum, a vault, said vault having integral bottom, side and end walls, a shoulder on the inner side of said walls and adjacent the upper edges thereof, dove tail notches in the side walls, said notches extending concrete as a means of permanently locking theseaung my and strut bars 1n said vault, said sealing lid having downwardly projecting elements so positioned that the sealing lid may be placed between the walls of the vault and rest on the shoulders on said walls and the downward projecting elements on said sealing cover will cated'en'ds on the strut bars and the dove tail vnotches on the side of the vault so that when the fresh concrete sets and hardens the sealing lid is positively and permanently sealed in position between the walls of the vault, a waterproof covering and sealing element for said sealing lid and upper edges of the walls of the vault and a monumental cover for said vault and means for sealing and holding said monumental cover onsaid vault to form the complete assembly of the mausoleum.

3. In an individual mausoleum, said mausoleum having a concrete vault and covers therefor, said concrete having reinforcing rods therein, said rods being covered to prevent the adhesion of the concrete thereto, a head or deformation on one end of said rod and threaded. means on the other end of said rod to take up the length thereof as and for the purpo set forth.

4. In an individual concrete mausoleum of the kind described, the concrete in said mausoleum being reinforced with wire mesh and steel rods. said steel rods being deformed at one end to secure it from movement in the` concrete, the opposite end of said rod being threaded into a nut that is housed so it may be turned after the concrete is set, said rod being treated between its ends to prevent the adhesion of the concrete thereto, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an individual concrete mausoleum, said mausoleum having a vault with integral sides and bottom which are covered with a waterproofing material and then overcoated with concrete as a protection for the water proofing, a sealing lid on said vault and a water proong material placed over said sealing lid and upper edges of enter into the fresh concrete between the bifurthe walls of said vault and ioint between said walls and sealing lid to form a complete water proof membrane around all six sides of the vault, and a cover for said vault as a protection for the sealing lid andwater proof membrane over the same.

6. In an individual mausoleum, the combination of a mausoleum having a vault and asealing lid thereon and a continuous protected water proof membrane there around, a tongue in the upper edge of the walls of said vault, a protective cover for said vault and a groove in the under side of said cover to receive said tongue as a means of keeping said cover properly positioned over said vault and as a means of preventing moisture from entering between said cover and top of the vault.

'7. In an individual mausoleum, said mausoleum having a waterproofed vault and cover therefor, an opening as a drain in the oor of said vault and a filter around said opening, the floor of the vault sloping to said opening, and a disinfectant and deodorant around said lter so that moisture in the vault will drain through the disinfectant, deodorant and lter and be discharged from the vault through said opening.

8.l In anindividua1 mausoleum, said mausoleum having a vault, said vault having an integral bottom, side and end walls, a sealing tray in the upper portion of said vault and a sealing lid spaced above said sealing tray, said sealing lid being sealed air tight to the walls of the vault, strut bars, said strut bars being positioned on top of said sealing tray and reaching from one wall of the vault to the wall on the opposite side of the vault thereby forming a series of compartments between the sealing tray and sealing lid, openings at the top and between each of the compartments, and a disinfectant and deodorant in the intermediate compartments, ribs on the under side of said sealing cover, said ribs being positioned between said strut bars, holes in theends of the sealing tray as a means of permitting a circulation of air from the vault proper through said compartments, said air being deected downwardly in said compartments by said ribs to contact the disinfectant and deodorant in said compartments and then complete its circuit into the vault proper substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

9. In an individual mausoleum, a vault, means for the air tight sealing of said vault, a drain in the bottom of said vault, a lter around said drain and a disinfectant around said drain, a sub-oor positioned over said drain and iilter and disinfectant as a means of preventing moisture from dripping into said drain and forcing said moisture to ow through said disinfectant and filter.

10. In an individual mausoleum, said mausoleum having a vault whose floor and walls are integral, the upper edges of said walls having an upwardly extending tongue, a cover for said vault, said cover having grooves therein to receive the tongue on the walls of the vault, a reinforced concrete overcoating for said floorand walls and a water proof membrane intermediate said floor and walls and said reinforced concrete overcoating, a water proof sealing material covering the said tongues and upper edges of the vault walls, said sealing material joining said water proof membrane and also forming a water proof joint between said vault Walls andthe cover for said vault.

BENJAMIN F. KREHBIEL. 

